


Fate

by KJW2BUSAN (bintellectualmalec)



Category: GOT7, K-pop
Genre: First Meetings, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-24 03:41:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17696987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bintellectualmalec/pseuds/KJW2BUSAN
Summary: The first meeting typed from this story text au written here https://twitter.com/SEOSPRDSDEF/status/1074409597732093953





	1. 1

Jaebum puts in his eye drops and throws on a hat and jacket before walking out of his and Bambam’s shared apartment to go three blocks and get some Starbucks.

 

He likes getting high and probably does it enough to be defined as a ‘stoner’, because everything moves slower and for some reason everything has more meaning in that state; he can cherish it more. Whether it be the skyscrapers he walks pass, the annoying ass tourists who take pictures of everything, or simply the sky above him; he’s able to find a little more meaning and a little more beauty in it all. 

 

He tries to appear as normal as he can, even though he knows he’s gotten entirely too high for a normal Thursday afternoon, to get to his destination and it feels like 45 years since he left his apartment. He goes to stand in line and immediately spots someone who is two people in front of him, but absolutely takes his breath away. 

 

He has dark brown hair that almost looks black from what he can tell from the beanie that covers most his hair, soft brown eyes that look like the dark roast coffee that he’s craving, and an extremely attractive side profile that includes a boopable nose and  _ very _ nice looking lips.

 

The guy gets a phone call and when he opens his mouth to speak, Jaebum swears he feels his heart skip a beat, because for some reason his voice sounds beyond melodic to him. Somehow soft and deep, but still with a resounding presence, it spins Jaebum for a loop.

 

Something kicks in with him to just have a sudden burst of confidence and just talk to him. Which results in one of the dumbest things Jaebum thinks he’s ever done.

 

He reaches past both the people in front of him and just pulls on his sleeve, rather aggressively, “Hey, hey! Hi, can you hear me?” Jaebum says as the stranger turns around and stares at him slightly annoyed, “Can I help you?”

 

“I know this sounds like super fucking dumb, but do you mind, taking like a few steps back and standing next to me?” Jaebum says, much to the dislike of both the people in front of him, who are glaring at him hard, “Please? It would also help these two guys stop having my arm around them in a sort of weird involuntary hug if you did?” 

 

Jinyoung looks at the guy and raises his eyebrow, looking at the guy somewhat amused before beginning to move, “Excuse me, my friend is still a little drunk from our party last night, my apologies.” Jaebum giggles lowly, “I’ve never met you before? I’d remember a face like yours if I did.”

 

This causes the younger boy to blush a little before continuing his story and finally getting by Jaebum’s side, “See what I mean? Fireball is a hell of a drink I’ll tell you all that much.” The older boy snorts and speaks under his breath, “The  _ last _ thing I am is drunk.” 

 

The guy in front turns around and Jinyoung is immediately trying to save his ass, “He’s joking, he’s always like this please ignore my friend.” Jinyoung looks at the older boy with muted fire in his eyes and whispers to him, “I can tell you’re a little high. But there’s like four cops in here and even though I don’t know who you are, I don’t want you to get in trouble for something as minor as weed. So shut up.”

 

Jaebum’s eyes widen at the tone of his voice and he nods, “ ‘M sorry. I just wanted to talk to you, no offense but you’re sort of beautiful.” He says nonchalantly and Jinyoung’s blush returns, “Great pick up line. You’re really gone aren’t you?” He says whispering the last part as they move further up.

 

The elder nods, “As  _ fuck.  _ Two blunts and a few pulls from my pipe.” Jinyoung raises his eyebrows, “Jesus fucking Christ, how are you breathing right now? Are the walls spinning? Seeing double?” Jaebum giggles and shakes his head, “Nah I’m good, just needed some motivation to start writing.”

 

They move to the front of the line, both of them ordering separately and waiting for their drinks before Jinyoung strikes up the conversation again, “You’re a writer? Like an author or a playwright?” Jaebum shakes his head, “Fuck no at the playwright, not that talented. I’m a songwriter and singer. So ¼ of the population of dreamers in New York.”

 

Jinyoung grabs both of their drinks and heads to a table, “So if you’re ¼,, what’s the other ¾’s of dreamers in the big city?” Jaebum takes a sip of his drink, “Well there’s the broadway kids who live on Musical Theatre and breathe Sondheim in their sleep. Then there’s the dancers who want to make it in a ballet more than they wanna breathe, but they side hustle by doing hip hop and bboy shit on the streets of Manhattan for starry-eyed tourist. Then there’s the filmers and the filmees. Those who came here solely to make it on the big screen, whether it be for writing, directing or acting.”

 

The younger boy nods and with raised eyebrows, “That’s a pretty intense discovery for someone who’s past cloud 9.” Jaebum smiles, “You live here long enough you figure it out.”

 

“So if it’s that simple,” Jinyoung says, putting his face in his hand and leaning slightly forward, “Then tell me what I am.”

 

Jaebum mocks the same expression that Jinyoung has and looks him in the eye, “You sir, are an enigma. A dreamer like the rest of us fucks, but you won’t just dream it, you’ll be it. And that just isn’t fair.”

 

There’s a glimmer in Jinyoung’s eyes that Jaebum notices and before he can even stop himself, the next sentence comes out, “Your eyes are pretty and sparkling and I like that.” 

 

Jinyoung smiles and for some reason, Jaebum feels his heart skip a beat again right before Jinyoung’s phone rings and he answers frantically forcing him to get up and quickly and apologize for leaving so suddenly.

 

“Don’t apologize, I’m a dumbass random stranger who took up your time. Go.” Jaebum says and Jinyoung smiles slightly before leaving, “Hope I see you again.”

 

“Hope so too.”


	2. 23

Youngjae and Jaebum walk outside to see a crowd of people standing up against a gate and Jinyoung walking out the side entrance to meet the crowd and they greet him with thunderous applause and cheering and he humbly bows to all the praise, bowing to all them and smiling brightly.

 

He begins to lower his hands to try and get the crowd to quiet down slightly, “Hello all! Oh boy, what an honor it is to stand in front of you all. I am so glad to be standing here as the currently Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. And I’m so happy that all of you took the time to come visit our little theatre for 90 minutes and rock out with us. For those of you who don’t know me I am Park Jinyoung, I’m 24 years old and I’m an immigrant from Jinhae-gu, Changwon city, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea, who now has the job of a lifetime to debut on broadway as this amazing character. I stand here hopefully as one of the many asian Broadway actors who will hopefully proceed me and I say thank you for being apart of history!” 

 

The crowd cheers and Jaebum doesn’t even notice Youngjae leave because he’s so enthralled with the young man who has the crowd captivated as himself, just as much as he did on stage. 

 

Jinyoung continues, “I think it’s important to note what tonight was. Tonight wasn’t just about me. It was about all those who look like me and work twice as hard as me who are desperate for opportunities like this to show that we are good enough. This isn’t just a moment for me. This is a moment for us. Thank you all for being here. I’ll try and get as many of you signed and take pictures with as many as I can, but I am only one person and it is opening night. I love all of you, rock and roll.”

 

Jaebum stands from the side and just watches as the man, guides himself through the crowd, working hard to have a personal moment with everyone he can get to and seeing the sincerity in his eyes. He feels a weird tug on his heart that reaches way further than anyone who’s ever stanned made him feel and it’s out of character.

 

He moves from the side of the venue and watches over the crowd and sees Youngjae get closer and closer to getting his Playbill signed, but he still feels that consistent tug on his heart. 

 

“Where the fuck is it?” He says as he begins to pat down his jacket pocket, looking for the blunt he conveniently snuck in, just in case the show sucked and he needed something to do while Youngjae watched. 

 

Youngjae finally locks eyes with Jinyoung and Jaebum can see how happy his friend is to be meeting someone who gave him such a cathartic experience. He hears Youngjae briefly speak in Korean to him and Jinyoung replies back happily before signing his playbill and Jaebum’s playbill and immediately leaving the crowd. 

 

Jinyoung’s eyes follow him until he sees the boy walk up to Jaebum pulling out something that is  _ definitely _ not a cigarette and light it. Jinyoung watches him, a few brief seconds feeling like minutes, as Jaebum and him lock eyes and for some reason Jinyoung has a sense of familiarity that he’s seen him before.

 

Jaebum however, panics and immediately widens his eyes and blushes before grabbing Youngjae’s hand and beginning to walk down the sidewalk. But even though he’s gone, the damage is already done, and despite Jinyoung snapping back into the moment, he can’t help but shake the feeling that he’s seen those eyes somewhere.


	3. 47

“You ready? Once you get there, there’s no turning back.” Bambam says to Jaebum as they get ready to close to the gate where stagedoor is being held.

 

They’re behind a few people but Jaebum can’t help but feel his heart rate start to quicken as he stands there, knowing there’s a chance he might meet the guy who, without real reason, makes his heart skip a beat. “As ready as I’ll ever be Bam.”

 

Bambam pats his back and nods, “Good, because you weren’t leaving anyway. Also you got a little tear stain on your cheek from after Midnight Radio.” Jaebum’s eyes widen as he turns on his front facing camera, but he can’t see anything due to the darkness outside.

 

“Don’t panic. I doubt he’ll notice.” The younger says and right when he speaks the door opens and Jinyoung walks out and Jaebum audibly gasp and Bambam laughs at him and pushes him slightly forward.

 

Jinyoung smiles and waves at everyone before beginning to speak, “Hi guys! Thank you all for being here tonight! I hope you all enjoyed the show as much as I enjoyed you all as an audience! I will try and get as many as you all signed and selfied as possible! I love you all, rock and roll!” 

 

He begins to work his way through the crowd and as Jinyoung gets closer to him he feels himself try and walk away but Bambam rubs his back, “You got this Jaebummie.”, and continues to guide him forward, forcing him to face his ‘crush’ head on. 

 

The younger boy finally comes to Jaebum who’s holding the playbill out without speaking and Jinyoung hasn’t looked up to see his face, signing it with a smile on his face before looking up, “Hi how are yo-”

 

The words die in his throat when he locks eyes with the stranger and he just stares at him and he gets the feeling again, of time stopping around them and all he can focus on is the boy in front of him.

 

“Hi.” Jaebum croaks out in a shaky voice and Jinyoung scoffs and smiles, “Hi.” 

 

Both of them have no idea what to say but they just feel a weird pull towards just stopping and talking to each other. 

 

The security guard begins to user Jinyoung forward but before he moves on, he grabs Jaebum’s hand and the elder swears his heart might combust, “Wait back. Please. I wanna talk to you. I don’t know if you remember me, but I remember you. Just… wait for a little bit until I’m out okay?”

 

Jaebum nods and smiles slightly, “O-Okay. I will. I’ll be out here when you get out.” 

  
Jinyoung smiles and continues to move down the line, smile somehow brighter than it was before because he’s  _ finally _ having fate on his side, and Jaebum can’t help but smile with him.


	4. 49

Jaebum stands off to the side with Bambam and he’s literally  _ bouncing  _ with excitement. “Bambam he remembers me. He wants to talk to  _ me.  _ How fucking bizarre is that? maybe all this fate shit you’ve been talking about really is valid.”

 

Bambam rolls his eyes, “This wasn’t fate, this was me taking the proper initiative that it required to get your head out of your ass and go talk to him. Fate’s much bigger than me.”

 

“Just take the win dumbass. I’m gonna text Namjoon and tell him what’s going on, he’s lowkey a sucker for this stuff.” Jaebum says and as he opens his phone, he sees his notifications flooded with texts and missed calls from Namjoon.

 

He immediately dials his friends number and Namjoon answers the phone sounding more stressed than he’s ever heard him, “Thank  _ God.  _ Jaebum where are you right now?” 

 

Jaebum replies quickly, “At stagedoor, why what’s going on? Are you okay?” Namjoon sighs deeply, “I’m fine. It’s Youngjae and Jungkook. He got into a car accident.”

 

Jaebum feels his stomach and heart drop and Bambam sees the visible change and bends down to where Jaebum is sitting and searches his eyes for any signs of what might be going on, “Oh my god. Is he okay, please dear god tell me he’s okay.”

 

“I-I don’t know. Jungkook just text me saying they were on the highway, he doesn’t remember what happened but somehow the car flipped and that they were both on the way to hospital. When he saw Youngjae before getting in the ambulance truck, he said his eyes were closed. I’m on the way to the hospital now, they’re in the ICU. I hate to ruin your night, but please hurry up.” Namjoon rushes out quickly and Jaebum can feel himself start to panic.

 

Jaebum hangs up the phone and he starts to stand up and paces, Bambam completely confused at what’s occurring before he stops the elder in his tracks and shakes his shoulders, “What’s going on Jaebum.”

 

“Youngjae and Jungkook’s car flipped over on the highway and Namjoon doesn’t know how they’re doing. We have to go see them. Now.” He says looking Bambam deep in his eyes and he immediately feels all the panic Jaebum just went through. 

 

“Holy shit. Holy shit, we need to leave. Tell Jinyoung what happened and we need to bolt.” Bambam says quickly and Jaebum cuts him off before he even finishes, “ _ Fuck _ Jinyoung. We need to go now. Get the car Bambam.” 

 

Bambam shakes his head, “Jaebum, tell Jinyoung. you may not get this opportunity again please.” Jaebum glares at Bambam, “Jungkook and Youngjae, two of my closest friends just went to the ambulance on a fucking stretcher and are in the ICU. I want to stay and tell him why but Bambam I can’t I need to go,  _ now. _ If that fate shit is supposed to happen let’s pray it gives me one more chance. But I need to go see my friends.”

 

“Fine.”, Bambam sighs and runs a hand through his hair, “Let’s go.” Jaebum walks behind him and as he looks back one more time, somehow time aligns again and Jinyoung looks up to see him walking away and he can literally  _ feel _ the disappointment in his eyes.

 

_ I’m Sorry,  _ He mouths to Jinyoung as he walks away and Jinyoung just takes a deep breath and tries to compose himself before continuing to sign playbills and get lost in thoughts.

 

_ Fuck fate.  _


	5. 51

Jaebum and Bambam race over to the hospital in the most tense silence they think they’ve ever been in, not knowing exactly what to say or do in order to ease each others nerves.

 

They meet up with Namjoon and once they all find out where they both are, they go to Jungkook first and see him lying on the bed with normal clothes on with bruises scattered about his neck and arms, but he still looks like his normal self and they all take a breath of relief.

 

“Hey dumbass.” Bambam says softly as he walks in the room and Jungkook looks over from the television and smiles softly, “Hey dumbass.” 

 

Namjoon sits on the bed next to him, looking nervous but trying to gain his composure, “How are you feeling jk?”’ 

 

The youngest boy shrugs, “Sore but nothing worse than that, they gave me some pretty strong pain meds though. I’m only here for the night so they can make sure I’m good then I’m going home. I think they’re keeping YJae a little longer.”

 

Jaeum nods and feels his stomach drop slightly, “Is Youngjae okay Jungkook? Or should we be worried.” Jungkook shakes his head slightly, “I think he’s cool. I know they’re keeping him in the ICU tonight though because of him not being awake when he got here.” 

 

Jaebum rubs his hands together and closes his eyes in order to keep himself from stressing out and Bambam speaks, “What are you guys even doing out?”

 

“Youngjae wanted to go out because he was kind of sad and he wanted to feel perky again. I told him I knew a good place, but because it was a Thursday and I know Youngjae needs a day of recovery when he drinks, I was just gonna make him drive us to his favorite ice cream place. Then this happened.” Jungkook says quickly and Namjoon raises on eyebrow, “Why was he sad?”

 

Jungkook cuts his eyes over to Jaebum briefly then back to Namjoon, “He saw something that made him sad and you know how he internalizes stuff.”

 

Bambam looks over at Jaebum and sees tears well up in his eyes as he gets up to leave and Bambam follows him out of the room and grabs his hands, “Jaebum don’t do this. You know this is not your fault.”

 

“Yeah tell that to Jungkook and Youngjae. I’m the reason they left the fuckin house because me, myself made Youngjae sad because I have a stupid pointless crush on a guy who I don’t even know.” Jaebum rushes out and Bambam just looks at him sadly as he continues, “That’s one of my best friends Bam. It’s you and Youngjae. And the fact is that if he would’ve never been sad because of something I posted, he would’ve never left the house and never got in that accident.”

 

Jaebum is aware he’s getting louder and people are watching but he doesn’t even care until he hears Namjoon’s voice, “Jaebum. You’re not at fault here. You can’t help the feelings you do have and the ones you don’t and neither can Youngjae. Neither of you are at fault. He was sad because he knows you don’t like him, but that’s not your fault. And it’s not Youngjae’s fault that he got into an accident. Now end this right now. All we need to do is go check on Youngjae okay?”

 

Jaebum looks in between both Bambam and Namjoon and nods, “Okay.”


	6. 53

They all stand outside of Youngjae’s room, somewhat preparing themselves for what they might see, fearing the worst but hoping for the best. Jaebum looks into Youngjae’s room and sees him hooked up to machines with needles poking and prodding at him and he feels a lot of guilt arise in his chest seeing his friend so  _ helpless. _

 

Youngjae is awake, but from the looks of it barely. He looks over at the door and when he sees his friends all at the door he smiles weakly and lifts his hand as high as he can to wave. “Hi guys.” He says groggily and they all pile in with Jaebum sitting the furthest away, still struggling to look at his best friend in such a vulnerable position.

 

Namjoon smiles and lightly runs his hand down Youngjae’s hair, “How you feeling JaeJae?” The younger boy smiles, “Well obviously not my best. But I’m here. So that’s what’s important to me. So I’m feeling fine.” 

 

Jaebum can see that Youngjae is putting on a smiling face in order to sate everyone in the room and when they lock eyes, Youngjae knows that Jaebum can tell he’s not being completely honest.

 

Bambam is sitting in the chair right next to the bed and grabs Youngjae’s hand, “What did that doctors say?” He shrugs and turns towards Bambam, “I didn’t hear it all, but I know that I apparently passed out as the car was flipping from stress. I also know I have a concussion and a bruise across my tummy because of the seatbelt.”

 

“How long do you have to be here?” Jaebum says bluntly and Bambam looks at him sadly, knowing exactly where Jaebum’s thoughts are. Youngjae looks at Jaebum in his eyes, “I’m not too sure. I know at least tonight and tomorrow because they need to make sure I don’t pass out again because I have once or twice since I’ve been here.” 

 

Jaebum looks down and nods and Youngjae pouts but switches his attention to Namjoon and Bambam, “It could’ve been a lot worse. If I didn’t have my seatbelt on, I would’ve flew out of the car and I would’ve died. Also we landed upside down apparently, could’ve gotten stuck. So I won’t complain.”

 

Bambam looks at Namjoon and they seem to think the same thing, “I’m happy you’re here Youngjae. I think me and Joonie are gonna give you guys a minute.” Youngjae looks emotionless and nods as the pair walk out and close it behind them.

 

Both Jaebum and Youngjae look at each other and say nothing for a while before Jaebum speaks, “Jae. How are you really feeling. Don’t lie to me.”

 

“Anxious. I’m so freaking sore all over and I’m physically exhausted in every way.” He says openly and Jaebum can see the weight that lifted of his chest as he said that. “Why didn’t you tell Namjoon or Bambam that when they were in here.”

 

Youngjae scoffs, “Would you have told the truth?” Jaebum looks down and shakes his head. “Exactly. I’m scared, but you guys are more scared for me. I don’t wanna make this fear worse because if you guys see me as frail as I feel, I’ll panic.” 

 

“I’m sorry.” Jaebum says and Youngjae looks at him angrily, knowing  _ exactly  _ what he’s apologizing for, “Don’t you dare be sorry for this Jaebum. This has nothing to do with you.” The older rolls his eyes, “You know that’s bullshit! If you hadn’t seen that commen-”

 

“Jaebum shut the fuck up. You had nothing to do with this car crash. Was I sad? Yes. But you did not cause this damn car crash so I refuse to let you sit here and dig yourself into a dark hole because you’re blaming yourself for some shit you didn’t do.” Youngjae spits out quickly, catching Jaebum off guard because he doesn’t cuss often. “Youngjae…”

 

The younger boy looks at him and motions for him to come closer. Once he does, Youngjae grabs his hand “Jaebum. I’m okay.  _ We’re  _ okay. We’ll always be okay. You’re my best friend no matter what.”

 

“I love you.” Jaebum says, “And you deserve so much better than me and what I could give you.” Youngjae playfully smiles and Jaebum sees that twinkle in his eyes, “I  _ know that.  _ Always have.”

 

They both laugh breathily, Youngjae wincing a little but not enough to stop him, “But seriously. I’m fine. And don’t underrate yourself. I know you JB. Jinyoung or whoever is gonna be the luckiest person in the world.”

 

“Well the person who gets you is gonna be with an angel. You’re my best friend too. I’m always,  _ always _ gonna be here.” Jaebum says and Youngjae smiles, “Never would doubt it.”

 

They hug and Jaebum heads for the door but before he leaves Youngjae calls his name and the older boy turns around.

 

“I love you too dumbass.” He says and Jaebum smiles genuinely.

 

_ We’re okay. We’ll always be okay. _


	7. 63

The club was packed and the energy was electric. Everyone around them was dancing and drunk off their asses, including Yugyeom and Jinyoung since they both came into the club after a few  **heavy** sips of alcohol from pregaming that night.

 

Amber was texting on her phone, seemingly upset and Mark leaned over to her, “You okay Ambs?” The older girl shook her head, “No, Krystal’s having a really bad breakdown because the label shot down her newest talent and now they’re talking about demoting her.” She looks at Jackson, who’s very obviously tipsy and grabs his hand, “Jacks you know I love you. So much. I love you so much, but my wife is having a panic attack and I need to be home with her. Please don’t be mad.”

 

Jacksons squeezes her hands, “I’m just happy you came Momma Liu. Tell Krys we love her.” Amber smiles and kisses his cheek and waves before getting up and leaving, keeping the for remaining boys there.

 

Jinyoung smiles at the couple in front of them, then looks at Yugyeom, “So what are gonna do when they ‘go to the bathroom’ like they do at every party little bro?” Jackson overdramatically gasps and Mark’s eyes widen as his sips from his drink, “W-We do not do that.” 

 

The youngest laughs and begins to drunkenly turns to Jinyoung and imitates Mark’s voice, “I think Jackson’s feeling a little bit sick… so we’ll be back soon or I may take him home.” Jinyoung giggles and begins to play along as Jackson, “Yeah you guys know… I’m pretty weak when it comes to alcohol, maybe next time?” 

 

“... Well at least we don’t have to lie anymore.” Jackson says under his breath and it sends Jinyoung and Yugyeom into a fit of giggles. Mark smiles, “Well I’m sure you all don’t mind if we do go to the bathroom for a little do you?”

 

Yugyeom fake gags and Jinyoung says a loud ew as the couple laughs and leaves the booth leaving the two boys to keep downing drinks,  _ unsupervised. _

 

The youngest boy spots someone in the crowd and shakes Jinyoung’s shoulder, “I wanna go dance with that guy right there. So I’ll be back soon.” He gets up leaving Jinyoung by himself and he starts to pout because being left alone by himself was  _ not _ the night he was aiming for. 

 

He just wanted to forget about the dumb stagedoor weed boy, and it seemed like every time he tried to forget, he remembered, so he did the only logical thing he knew how to do: drink even more.

 

He walked towards the bar and ordered 5 five shots and the person next to him eyes widened, “Five? How fucked up are you attempting to get?”

 

Jinyoung giggled, downing one before answering, “Close enough to make my memory be permanently erased.” The guy laughs, “Well you’re doing a damn good job.”

 

“I wouldn’t have to if my friend would stop leaving me.” He pouts and the guy follows his line of sight, “Well I think your friend is dancing with my friend so I guess we’re both the losers at this club.” The guy says smiling, “I’m Namjoon by the way.”

 

Jinyoung’s glassy eyes widen, “Wait… like RM Namjoon? Dude your music is amazing! And you and Seokjin are adorable.” Namjoon blushes slightly, “I didn’t think you’d know who I was. Thank you, he’s the better half.” 

 

Jinyoung downs two more and by the way he reacts, Namjoon gets a little worried, “Hey are you good?” Jinyoung takes a deep breath and puts on a smile, “Y-Yeah I’m just fucking peachy! I in fact wanna go dance.” 

 

He tries to get up but in the process almost trips and falls, but Namjoon catches him right on time and helps him sit back down, “Okay you need to go home. Do you have a ride?” Jinyoung shakes his head, “Nope. My DD left and my one sober friend is having sex with his boyfriend so that isn’t happening. And my best friend is currently grinding against your friend so…” 

 

Namjoon scratches the back of his head, “What’s your name? I’ll call you a cab.” Jinyoung thinks before answering, “PJY. That’s my initials.” Namjoon nods before pulling out his phone, “I’m gonna drive JK home after you leave because he’s as plastered as I’m gonna let him get. Your friend is going home with you okay?” 

 

He nods quickly before trying to grab another one of the remaining two shots before Namjoon grabs his hand, “Nuh uh. You’re one step away from alcohol poisoning. No more.” Jinyoung pouts again, “You don’t even know me why are you helping me?”

 

“Because A. I’m not an asshole and I don’t want you this drunk when someone could easily take advantage of you if you were by yourself. And B. because you look vaguely familiar and I don’t want you hurt.” He says grabbing his arm, “I’m gonna grab JK and you grab your pal and we’re gonna wait outside so you can get some air okay?”

 

Jinyoung nods, “You really are a good person wow.” Namjoon giggles, “Thank you.” He pulls JK and Jinyoung grabs Yugyeom and the younger boy whines as they walk outside.

 

Once the colder air hits him, Jinyoung realizes exactly how fucked up he is and gets mad at himself.

 

_ You got hammered to forget about a boy whose name you don’t even know. Get it together Jinyoung. Why do you feel such a tether to this person?  _ He thinks to himself before Namjoon lightly shakes him out of his thoughts.

 

“Hey, the taxi is here, I don’t know your address but I’ll pay for the tab. Just make sure you get home and rest okay?” He says and Jinyoung smiles, “Thank you Namjoon.”

 

Namjoon nods his head and Jinyoung grabs Yugyeom’s arm to break up him and JK’s makeout fest, “Yugy we need to go to bed.” 

 

Yugyeom lets Jinyoung pull him away but not without one last comment, “My number is in your phone Jk. Text me.”

 

Jungkook blushes and smirks, “Will do Yugys.”

 

Namjoon closes the door once they’re both in and Jinyoung tells the driver his address, putting his head back against the seat and somehow hoping he can forget everything about the Starbucks guy, yet simultaneously remember everything about him, clinging to all the foolish hope he has.


	8. 102

Jinyoung and Jaebum locked eyes and stared at each other from across the bar, both of them looking beyond terrified but also extremely desperate to speak with each other.

 

The younger boy rises up from his seat and slowly makes his way over to where Jaebum is. The whole time Jaebum is wondering if there’s anyway you can just delete yourself from the earth in two seconds because he has no idea what to do in this situation.

 

Jinyoung finally lands in front of Jaebum before speaking, “Hi.” Jaebum opens his mouth to speak but gets nervous and ends up waving and Jinyoung scoffs, “Jaebum?”

 

The boy honestly believes he has a heart palpitation in one minute and he’s trying hard to speak and it’s like his mouth won’t let him. But hearing Jinyoung say his name… it overwhelms him completely.

 

Jaebum begins to panic and tries and to move away, but Jinyoung grabs his arm and he swears there’s an electric current that runs through him, “No. You are not running away this time.”

 

“I didn’t run away last time! I-It was a really difficult situation that I didn’t have time to explain.” Jaebum spits out quickly, looking anywhere but Jaebum’s eyes.

 

Jinyoung scoffs and rolls his eyes, “I just… understand that’s hard for me to believe. You told me you were gonna stay and I turn my back for maybe two seconds and you disappear?” Jaebum shakes his head, “You can’t say I run away based off that one situation. I had no choice in that.”

 

“Just… you’ve been frustrating since we’ve met! Because everytime I think we’ll finally have that moment to talk like we did in starbucks the first time, you leave or something happens!” Jinyoung says and Jaebum raises an eyebrow.

 

“That’s why I always feel like I know you. Starbucks that’s where we first met.” He says under his breath and Jinyoung’s eyes widen and what looks to be anger.

 

“You don’t even remember where we first met? That feeling you gave me is why I couldn’t let you go and you didn’t even fucking remember it?” Jaebum can hear the tone of voice getting angrier and also can now hear the slurring of certain words.

 

_ He’s a little drunk. _

 

Jaebum breathes before getting upset, “Jinyoung. Calm down. I was high when we first met but as soon as you said that I remembered. Ever since I saw you the first time when I really did run away at stagedoor, I felt like I’d known you for years. You’re a little drunk right now so please calm down.” 

 

Jinyoung’s eyes get watery before he starts getting more upset, “Yeah because I had to drink to even have the courage to come over here and speak to you because I’m scared I’ve been wasting my time on you because you weren’t gonna be the guy I couldn’t stop thinking about and honestly right now I don’t even know.” 

 

Jaebum backs up from Jinyoung like he was burned and stands up trying to gain some of his pride back, “Well.. I’m sorry I’ve been wasting your time. I’ll leave you alone.” 

 

He starts to walk away and Jinyoung calls out his name and Jaebum turns around and puts his hand out to tell him to stop and continues to walk away. 

 

_ Fuck.  _

 


	9. 107

Jackson jumps back onstage as Jaebum bounces from his waiting area, filled with nervousness and anxiety but also calm, because even though Jaebum doesn’t understand why more than half of the bad things in his life happens, he understands music.

 

“Now Youngjae is absolutely amazing right? Never heard a kid with a voice that clear have you?” Jackson says as the crowd continues to cheer and Jaebum can feel his heart swell in pride for his best friend.

 

Jackson continues, “Now this next guy caught my attention with this song called Don’t Care and somehow his whole discography ended up being fucking magic? The talent he possesses is beyond and I can’t wait for you all to hear what I’ve been streaming for a while now. I give you all, Lim Jaebeom, but y’all can call him PRDSDEF!” 

 

The man takes a deep breath before smiling and proceeding to walk out onstage as the crowd cheers and he suddenly feels right at peace.

 

“Hello everyone! As Jackson said I am Lim Jaebeom, but I make music under the pseud PRDSDEF and I am so honoured to be here tonight. Thank you Jackson and 116.9 Tha Vibe for giving artists like me this opportunity it means the world.” Jaebum starts and the crowd claps and cheers for him as he get more comfortable on stage.

 

“Now I know a lot of you don’t know who I am, so I didn’t wanna start off by getting you into my music first. I wanted to sing something I hope is a little familiar to you first so you can dip your toe in the water, see if it’s warm enough for you and all that.” He jokes and the crowd laughs along with him, “So I hope you all have heard two artists under the name H.E.R. and Daniel Caesar?”

 

Jaebum looks straight into the crowd and before he knows it he locks eyes with Jinyoung, who is sitting right underneath a light that shines on him in the smaller venue and looking at him with an emotion that neither one of them think they truly can describe. 

 

He shakes his head to get back into his mode, but for some reason can’t stop looking at Jinyoung, “This song has meant a lot to me recently. So I wanted to share it with you all. It’s called Best Part.”

 

The music starts and Jaebum tries to move his eyes away from Jinyoung but it feels as if they are somehow stuck, in a trance as he sings.

 

_ I just wanna see how _

_ Beautiful you are _

_ You know that I see it _

_ You know you’re a star _

_ Where you go I’ll follow _

_ No matter how far _

_ If Life Is A Movie _

_ Then you’re the Best Part _

 

Jinyoung watches him from the stage, finally in the position of seeing not doing, and he sees how Jaebum seems to light up on stage, as if there’s a more prominent glow surrounding him, making his performance intimate yet powerful.

 

The song ends but Jaebum doesn’t even remember it, he just remembers the look in Jinyoung’s eyes that hold back emotions that he doesn’t know how to display. As if the little words they’ve spoken could never speak the magnitude of what this moment is for them. Because even though everyone is seeing Jaebum perform, only person he sees is Jinyoung.

 

Ever word he sings he means and that continues throughout the entire set. Every word having so much meaning behind it and almost every word being sung directly at Jinyoung, anchoring him to this moment and this performance.

 

The last song in Jaebum’s set finishes and he finally looks out and sees the way people are cheering and he knows he’s done something so amazing it might change his life. Or at least he hopes.

 

But no matter what happens he decided that even if he doesn’t win a record deal, he refuses to walk away without something tangible. 

 

_ Jinyoung. _

 

So no matter what happens tonight. Jaebum and Jinyoung know one thing for certain: They refuse to let each other go again.


	10. 111

Jaebum had been running around the whole venue for minutes, searching in every crevice and corner to try and figure out where Jinyoung was.

 

It had spiralled from a want to talk to jinyoung into a need, and he couldn’t ignore the things he was feeling. Everything he felt previously and onstage had manifested into this metaphorical ball, that was getting too heavy for him to hold anymore, Jinyoung needed to know.

 

He sees Mark from across the room and sprints over to him and taps his shoulder and as soon as he sees him he smiles, “Well this is a first time meeting you.”

 

“I’m so sorry my manners are bad right now and I’m sort of sweaty and out of breathe, but please tell me where Jinyoung is.” He rushes out quickly and Mark smiles.

 

“He’s outside, he said he needed air after that. Go get him.” He says and pats him on the shoulder.

 

Jaebum begins to run out there but Mark says his name and catch his attention and sees the older man running over to him, “Jaebum. One thing. Take care of him. He’s my best friend and platonically he’s the love of my life. Please take care of him.”

 

Jaebum nods and smiles, “That’s exactly what I want to do.”

 

The dark haired man runs outside to see Jinyoung, with a  _ blunt _ , in his hand, blowing smoke out of his mouth and looking out into the sky.

 

“Can I have a hit?” Jaebum says as he gets closer to him and Jinyoung jumps and stares, “Sure. I forgot how to even pull I don’t feel shit. Only did it because it gave me some familiarity.”

 

Jaebum smiles because he knows what the familiarity is referring to as he pulls a little from the blunt, “That’s because it’s not your thing. You’re too good for it and you have way more to lose than any of us. Those singer lungs don’t deserve this shit.”

 

Jinyoung scoffs, “So does it make me selfish because I have all these things and still can’t gain the one thing I want?”

 

“No that makes you human.” He says turning towards him and Jinyoung just stares at him in his eyes, both of them too stuck in their own minds to speak first.

 

Jinyoung starts to feel the words climbing at his throat, him trying to remain stuck in this moment but he can’t hold it back anymore, “Jaebum what are we doing?”

 

Jaebum shrugs, “I don’t know. I wish we’d both get out of the way and make this easier.” 

 

“I’m gonna blame my honesty on this alcohol I drank earlier and the buzz I got from the weed-” Jaebum interrupts to giggle, “A buzz? From weed? Wow you really don’t smoke.”

 

Jinyoung playfully hits his arm, smiling, “Shut up. What I’m trying to say is. I like you Jaebum. You’re different and I’ve only talked to you a handful of times and everytime we talk that it feels like we’ve done this for years. And I’m so confused by it, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want it.”

 

“I feel everything you do. I swear there’s a certain level of comfort and familiarity that comes with being around that I don’t understand. And it scares me because I’m more of an extroverted introvert. My feelings stay quiet, but you make me want to make them loud so you can hear them and that scares me.” Jaebum says looking clearly into his eyes and Jinyoung grabs the blunt back and tries to pull again.

 

“Well aren’t we hopeless?” The younger boy says while blinking quickly, “Shit I definitely did it right that time. God I’m gonna be cross faded as fuck.”

 

Jaebum laughs and takes the blunt back, “Well I’m taking this away from you then and I’ll take you back to your friends soon. But,” He takes a step closer to Jinyoung, “We can’t run away from each other anymore. Because if I’m being completely honest, I want to try a relationship with you Jinyoung. Badly. And I don’t wanna keep having chance encounters and never going further.”

 

Jinyoung looks overwhelmed but nods, “I want that too. Just as badly. So what are we gonna do about it PRDSDEF?” He smirks as Jaebum giggles, “We’ll figure it out. Let’s try a date first? Wanna go to starbucks?” 

 

“I would love to go to Starbucks even though I’m sort of anti  _ that  _ establishment after all their bullshit.” Jinyoung says off handedly and Jaebum’s eyes widen, “Where have you been all my life?” He jokes and the two laugh.

 

They both exchange numbers  _ (finally)  _ and Jaebum says he’ll ‘handle’ the rest of the blunt and Jinyoung laughs as he stands at the entrance. 

 

“We are gonna try. And we will succeed at this too. Because nothing’s felt as right and organic as you do.” The younger boy states and Jaebum jokes “Can’t believe I’m dating the most beautiful sugar baby in all of East Berlin.” 

 

Jinyoung smiles at the reference to his current show, staring at Jaebum with that same twinkle in his eye from that first time they’d ever met and smiles, “Your eyes are sparkling. And I like that.” 

 

Jinyoung feels his heart tug and he looks at Jaebum’s lips and touches the side of his face, “One for the road.” He says softly before he kisses the older boy. Both of them feel the cheesy, but oh so real, fireworks in their chest from the moment their lips touch and neither one of them ever wants it to end.

 

Jaebum smiles into the kiss and he’s eventually the one to break it. Jinyoung looks him in his eyes afterwards shyly before beginning to move, “See you tomorrow Lim Jaebeom.”

 

“See you tomorrow Park Jinyoung.” The older man smiles and turns around, feeling his heart firing at a million miles a minute.

 

_ See you tomorrow. _


End file.
